1912 Triangular Tournament
Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 191 : 1912 Triangular Tournament
The 1912 Triangular Tournament was the first cricket competition in which the three Test playing nations played together. All previous Test series had been held between two countries only.
- 1 Original proposal
- 2 Notable incidents
- 3 Success of tournament
- 4 Matches
- 4.1 First Test: Australia v South Africa at
- 4.2 First Test: England v South Africa at
- 4.3 First Test: England v Australia at
- 4.4 Second Test: England v South Africa at
- 4.5 Second Test: Australia v South Africa at
- 4.6 Second Test: England v Australia at
- 4.7 Third Test: England v South Africa at
- 4.8 Third Test: Australia v South Africa at
- 4.9 Third Test: England v Australia at
- 5 Results table
- 6 External links
Original proposal
The idea of a competition involving all three of the nations then playing Test cricket (Australia, England and South Africa) was proposed at the first meeting of the Imperial Cricket Council in July 1909. The original proposal was for a tournament to be held every four years, with the first hosted by England in 1912.
Notable incidents
Perhaps the most notable incident of the series was Australian cricketer Jimmy Matthews taking two hat-tricks in the same Test match, one in each innings of the opening match against South Africa, the only time that a bowler has taken two hat-tricks in the same match in Test history.
Success of tournament
For a variety of reasons, the tournament was not a success. The summer was one of the wettest since records began in 1766, with rainfall in the three months of June, July and August being more than twice the annual average. August 1912 was the coldest, dullest and wettest August of the 20th century. In days before covered pitches, the batsmen were at a distinct disadvantage on the proverbial sticky wicket. The problems that were exacerbated since all of the matches were over three days rather than the usual five. Two of the matches between England and Australia were drawn due to the weather, and the final one was played on a pitch said to be "better suited to water polo".
In addition, disputes between the players and management in Australia meant that six leading Australian players refused to tour (including the captain, Clem Hill, and Victor Trumper, neither of whom played for Australia again), weakening a side that had otherwise been a level with England in recent Ashes series. The leg spin and googly bowlers in the South African side were very effective on the matting pitches then in use in South Africa, but were less threatening on English grass pitches. As a result, England dominated, winning four of their six matches and drawing the other two.
Finally, the British public showed little interest: in the words of The Daily Telegraph: "Nine Tests provide a surfeit of cricket, and contests between Australia and South Africa are not a great attraction to the British public."
The tournament was so unsuccessful that it has never been repeated. The idea of a tournament of international cricket matches between more than two countries was not repeated until the invention of One-day International cricket and the first Cricket World Cup in 1975. The only other Test cricket tournaments in history were the Asian Test Championships of 1998/99 and 2001/02, which were also not great successes.
Matches
First Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Australia won by an innings and 88 runs [link]
- Australia batted first, scoring completing their first innings score of 448 on the first day, with centuries for Charles Kelleway and Warren Bardsley. Sid Pegler took 6 wickets for 105 runs. South Africa were 16 for 1 at the close. South Africa were bowled out for 265 on the second day (with a century for Aubrey Faulkner and Bill Whitty taking 5 wickets for 55 runs), followed on, and were bowled out again on the same day for 95 (Kelleway taking 5 for 33)
- Australian bowler Jimmy Matthews took a double hat-trick, one in each of South Africa's innings, both hat-tricks being taken on the same day, 28 May 1912. Matthews took no other wickets in the match.
- South Africa's debutant wicket-keeper Tommy Ward was Matthews' 3rd victim in both innings. Ward's is the only known instance of a king pair on debut in Test cricket.
First Test: England v South Africa at
- England won by an innings and 62 runs [link]
First Test: England v Australia at
- Match drawn [link]
- In a rain-affected match, England made 310/7 (Hobbs 107) before declaring their innings closed. In reply, Australia made 282/7 before rain ended play. Charlie Macartney top-scored with 99 before being dismissed, the third Test player to suffer this misfortune. [link]
Second Test: England v South Africa at
- England won by 174 runs [link]
Second Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Australia won by 10 wickets [link]
Second Test: England v Australia at
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v South Africa at
- England won by 10 wickets [link]
Third Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v Australia at
- The game was extended from 3 days to timeless to ensure a tournament winner, since the tournament rules did not contain a tie-breaker if two teams ended with the same number of wins.
- England won by 244 runs [link]
Results table
- England won by an innings and 62 runs [link]
First Test: England v Australia at
- Match drawn [link]
- In a rain-affected match, England made 310/7 (Hobbs 107) before declaring their innings closed. In reply, Australia made 282/7 before rain ended play. Charlie Macartney top-scored with 99 before being dismissed, the third Test player to suffer this misfortune. [link]
Second Test: England v South Africa at
- England won by 174 runs [link]
Second Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Australia won by 10 wickets [link]
Second Test: England v Australia at
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v South Africa at
- England won by 10 wickets [link]
Third Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v Australia at
- The game was extended from 3 days to timeless to ensure a tournament winner, since the tournament rules did not contain a tie-breaker if two teams ended with the same number of wins.
- England won by 244 runs [link]
Results table
- England won by 174 runs [link]
Second Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Australia won by 10 wickets [link]
Second Test: England v Australia at
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v South Africa at
- England won by 10 wickets [link]
Third Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v Australia at
- The game was extended from 3 days to timeless to ensure a tournament winner, since the tournament rules did not contain a tie-breaker if two teams ended with the same number of wins.
- England won by 244 runs [link]
Results table
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v South Africa at
- England won by 10 wickets [link]
Third Test: Australia v South Africa at
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v Australia at
- The game was extended from 3 days to timeless to ensure a tournament winner, since the tournament rules did not contain a tie-breaker if two teams ended with the same number of wins.
- England won by 244 runs [link]
Results table
- Match drawn [link]
Third Test: England v Australia at
- The game was extended from 3 days to timeless to ensure a tournament winner, since the tournament rules did not contain a tie-breaker if two teams ended with the same number of wins.
- England won by 244 runs [link]
Results table
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Australia | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| South Africa | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
External links
- [The original damp squib] (from Cricinfo)
- []
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.